Linkedin is not Facebook

Linkedin started in 2002 and it aimed to contact the candidate and the employee. It is older than Facebook or Youtube but in Romania it growth more only during the last years.

Today, we can talk about Linkedin as a professional social media network stronger than others. Here you can find information about companies, employees, job openings, news, and events.

If we talk about functionalities, we see some similarities with Facebook: status update, connection requests, profile photo and cover, groups or communities, and recently added the story. But be aware: LINKEDIN IS NOT FACEBOOK. Keep it professional!

It is not the first time when I am writing about Linkedin (eg. when you want a job), but still… let’s see how we can maintain our Linkedin profiles into the professional zone:

• Write your entire name and your title. Linkedin is used by recruiters to find candidates or for companies to find business partners. Not for your friends from high school to find you by the nickname from that period.
• Pay attention to the ”About” section. This is a resume about who you are. Of course, you can add some personal details (like hobbies), but this should answer a question like ”Why should I hire you?” or ”Why should I buy your product?”
• Put relevant details regarding your job. This gives you consistency on your profile as a specialist. I saw a lot of profiles with a job name, a company, and period work, but this doesn’t help a lot. With a proper Linkedin profile, you don’t need anymore a CV when you apply for a job.
• Be accurate on education - mention what Faculty you graduate (not only the University) or mention if you didn’t graduate.
• Check your skills - put there some relevant skills for your activity. Because it is not ok to find a developer profile without details regarding the languages used, but with endorsements at being team-worker. And use Linkedin assessment for these skills or some training from Linkedin on your topic.
• Share news from your industry. And keep the photos with cats for Facebook :)
• Write articles with relevant content for your audience. It requests time and effort, but in this way, you can engage your audience.
• Join events and groups where you can find similar specialists. Follow relevant speakers for your job.
• Request connections from people related to your job. If I am a developer, I will connect with developers like me, with IT recruiters or tech managers. It won’t help me to be in contact with salesmen or doctors. Linkedin is about relevant connections for your activity, not about a lot of connections for everything.

Linkedin uses also some algorithms to boost the content. If you want to be more visible, your posts have to offer quality, engage people, and make connections.

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